Immediately after a disaster, a lot of talk. Then the estimates are made, and it is shoved under the table. Until the next disaster, when it is reliezed that the cost of preperation would have been less than a tenth of the cost of reapairing the damage. And then the talk begins again, with the same result.

Immediately after a disaster, a lot of talk. Then the estimates are made, and it is shoved under the table. Until the next disaster, when it is reliezed that the cost of preperation would have been less than a tenth of the cost of reapairing the damage. And then the talk begins again, with the same result.

Click to expand...

That's the problem with trusting the government to have your best interests in mind. It doesn't. Government is populated mainly by the folks who do a good average job but are otherwise unremarkable.

They do a basic job (some of them do it very well) but in the long run they aren't going to risk their positions so will constantly opass the buck along to the next guy hoping that they don't get stuck with it.

When you do find a bureaucrat who does an exceptional job, let them know it and treasure them and nurture them because they are a very rare breed indeed!

Immediately after a disaster, a lot of talk. Then the estimates are made, and it is shoved under the table. Until the next disaster, when it is reliezed that the cost of preperation would have been less than a tenth of the cost of reapairing the damage. And then the talk begins again, with the same result.

Click to expand...

That's the problem with trusting the government to have your best interests in mind. It doesn't. Government is populated mainly by the folks who do a good average job but are otherwise unremarkable.

They do a basic job (some of them do it very well) but in the long run they aren't going to risk their positions so will constantly opass the buck along to the next guy hoping that they don't get stuck with it.

When you do find a bureaucrat who does an exceptional job, let them know it and treasure them and nurture them because they are a very rare breed indeed!

Click to expand...

Government agencies promote to the idiot level. Someone will get promoted to high for their skill sets every time. Whats that called again?

Further it is NOT the federal Governments job, responsibility or tax base that should be "preparing" local areas for storms or disasters. That is the local or State JOB. There is NOTHING in the Constitution about the federal Government paying for local communities to meet local requirements for storm or disaster preparedness. Further we shouldn't be bailing them out after every one. It encourages building in areas that simply should not be built in.

My State is no different, we have houses and businesses building on barrier Islands that simple are not stable enough to support those communities or structures. and then when the sand gets washed away the State or fed bail them out with more unsound plans. And when Hurricanes hit the fed rebuilds everything in the same spots that are unsafe to begin with.

The thrust of the article dealt with state and local governments. And one finds the same impediments at that level. More in some ways. A developer decides that there is major money to be made developing land in an unstable area, or one that has a history of weather washing over it. A local beauracrat says no, that is not a safe place for houses, and then finds that the developer has put major money to get someone elected that will terminate his job, or move him to a position where he cannot influence that development. Much easier to do, and more commonly done at the local level.

Money and sanity seldom mix. And people seldom look beyond the view and neighbors.

And there are areas, such as the one I live in that will have a catastrophic disaster for sure, but the time scale varies from 300 to 900 years apart. And the magnitude of the quakes we get were not even understood 20 years ago.

There are basic things that can be done, reasonable precautions a materials stored in appropriate places to alleviate the results of disasters. But, at present, if you are in the way of a hurricane, or flood, get out. For in very few places have any efforts been made to prepare for known disasters.

Immediately after a disaster, a lot of talk. Then the estimates are made, and it is shoved under the table. Until the next disaster, when it is reliezed that the cost of preperation would have been less than a tenth of the cost of reapairing the damage. And then the talk begins again, with the same result.

Click to expand...

That's the problem with trusting the government to have your best interests in mind. It doesn't. Government is populated mainly by the folks who do a good average job but are otherwise unremarkable.

They do a basic job (some of them do it very well) but in the long run they aren't going to risk their positions so will constantly opass the buck along to the next guy hoping that they don't get stuck with it.

When you do find a bureaucrat who does an exceptional job, let them know it and treasure them and nurture them because they are a very rare breed indeed!

Click to expand...

There is some truth to what you wrote, though to single out government bureaucrats isn't fair and doesn't tell the whole story. A leader, and that includes middle management and even supervisors, is someone who has a vision, understands his/her responsibility and authority and never asks this question, "How does this effect me". This question is asked in both the private sector and the public sector too often!

What do you geniuses suggest? Should we undertake the construction of a gigantic sea wall along the Atlantic coast? Environmentalists might have a problem with that concept. How about suspending the Constitution for a while and force American property owners to abandon their coastal property? Which businesses should we authorize to operate on the coast? Just the gambling casinos?

Immediately after a disaster, a lot of talk. Then the estimates are made, and it is shoved under the table. Until the next disaster, when it is reliezed that the cost of preperation would have been less than a tenth of the cost of reapairing the damage. And then the talk begins again, with the same result.

Click to expand...

That's the problem with trusting the government to have your best interests in mind. It doesn't. Government is populated mainly by the folks who do a good average job but are otherwise unremarkable.

They do a basic job (some of them do it very well) but in the long run they aren't going to risk their positions so will constantly opass the buck along to the next guy hoping that they don't get stuck with it.

When you do find a bureaucrat who does an exceptional job, let them know it and treasure them and nurture them because they are a very rare breed indeed!

Click to expand...

There is some truth to what you wrote, though to single out government bureaucrats isn't fair and doesn't tell the whole story. A leader, and that includes middle management and even supervisors, is someone who has a vision, understands his/her responsibility and authority and never asks this question, "How does this effect me". This question is asked in both the private sector and the public sector too often!

Click to expand...

Your last comment is the important one IMO. In the private sector there are remedies for those who fail. In the Public Sector that is not the truth. The Public Employees are not responsible for you, your property, your loved ones. This has been adjudicated many times.

Nor should they be. However, they must also not be allowed to inhibit the ability of the individual to defend themselves or prepare for a disaster.

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